


Nothing Unusual

by nobetterpicture



Series: SASO 2016 Fills [5]
Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: (I mean Synchro but-), M/M, Mind Reading
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 17:52:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7063621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobetterpicture/pseuds/nobetterpicture
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for SASO 2016 Bonus Round 1 prompt "Remember when Oishi lost his voice but Kikumaru understood him perfectly anyway?'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nothing Unusual

It happens, of course, when Tezuka is gone.

Oishi feels the tickle in the back of his throat the day before and coughs a bit during practice. Fuji and Eiji voice their concerns and even Inui points out that his voice is more hoarse than normal.

“It’s nothing,” He says, waving them off after coughing again. “I just volunteered too much in class today.”

He promises them to rest when he gets home and drinks the rest of the orange juice in their fridge to be safe. Settling into bed, Oishi feels like his throat is much better and falls asleep without thought.

-

He wakes up without a voice.

It’s frustrating, how dry and sore his throat is and his mother shakes her head at him as he leaves early for morning practice.

“You’ll only get your team sick, Shuuichirou!” He ignores her, thoughts of the championship, of his promise to Tezuka, burning through his mind. When he gets to practice and remembers that he doesn’t have a voice to captain with, he sort of regrets not listening to her.

Oishi wonders, off hand, if he can get away without talking for a practice, but the moment he sees Momo and Kaidoh shoving each other to get through the locker room door first, he knows that’s not going to happen. He grabs each of their shoulders, smiling and ready to tear into them, but nothing comes out.

They stare at him in fear, like a silent Oishi senpai is a more fearful Oishi senpai, and it’s like he can hear the scratch of Inui’s pencil behind him. The two second years finally get through the door and when Inui _does_ pass him, he sighs and wonders silently if his data collection is ever over.

“Not for Inui, Oishi~” Eiji’s voice makes him jump, his partner leaning on his shoulder. “His data collection is never over.”

Oishi looks at Eiji, wide eyed, because he hasn't said a word about Inui, hasn't said a word at all since he arrived, but here’s Eiji replying like he has.

“Nya, but you did say it, Oishi?” Eiji pushes off, moving toward his locker to get changed. “I obviously heard your voice.”

The club house is silent and everyone is staring at Eiji, except Inui who’s muttering to his notebook about something called Synchro. When the redhead’s finished changing, he glares back at everyone.

“Aren’t we going to practice?” And that snaps them all out of it.

-

Inui, thankfully, takes over both practices that day for Oishi. There are moments though, where Eiji clearly reads his mind and even when he thinks of asking how, all he gets is the mischievous smile he’s so used to seeing and nothing else.

He swears to himself to get it out of his partner eventually and that only makes Eiji’s smile wider.

-

The next day, his voice is back and the first thing he does is wait to corner Eiji before practice.

“How did you do it?” Oishi asks, leaning in close to his partner’s face.

Eiji smiles patiently, but his body seems to vibrating in excitement. A minute passes, and they’re still staring at each other. Another and Oishi realizes how close he is to his partner.

Finally, Eiji pulls away with a sigh, kicking at the ground.

“Awwww, it doesn’t go both ways.” He’s pouting and if Oishi wasn’t so confused he would try to make his partner smile again.

“What doesn’t?”

“Reading minds!!” Eiji says a little exasperated. “I can sorta read your mind, Oishi. I don’t know when it started but I just kinda...know what you’re thinking.”

It takes him a moment to accept this, but since this isn’t the strangest thing that Oishi’s ever come across, especially in tennis, he eventually nods.

“I see. That could be useful in games.”

“Right!?”

“Yeah…Wait.” It’s only then that it hits him. The panic. “So...you can..You've heard everything!?”

Eiji grins, a curling smile like a cat who got all the cream, and quickly slips away before Oishi can grab him.

“Eiji… _EIJI_ WAIT!”

 

(It’s only months later, after they’ve finally achieved Synchro together for the first time, that Oishi exacts his revenge.

He waits for the perfect moment, and lets out a quiet

“Cat ears, Eiji? I suppose I’m not that surprised, but still...”

The look of pure shock on his partner’s face, followed by a smile and multitude of thoughts rushing his head make the wait worth it.)


End file.
